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Congratulations to my sister Ifrah Ahmed, who persuaded the prime minister to sign the petition

Ifrah Ahmed with Somalia´s prime minister Sharmarke

Somalia’s prime minister has publicly backed the campaign to ban FGM in his country.

Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has joined more than a million others by signing an online petition calling for a comprehensive ban.

Somali anti-FGM campaigner Ifrah Ahmed, a friend of mine and former Desert Flower Foundation team-member, told the BBC that she had persuaded Mr Sharmarke to sign the petition organised by online campaign group Avaaz.

She said that it was a significant move as many people in Somalia do not openly speak about the issue.